Food & Drink

The premature death of my wife due to complications of obesity was a loud wake-up call for me. At the time of her death I, too, was obese, weighing 236 pounds and having to buy my clothes at a “Big and Tall” store. We didn’t eat “junk food” or drink soda. My wife was an […]

School is back in session and pumpkin spice has started to infiltrate our subconscious, but our local farmers are still out in the fields weeding, watering, harvesting and even planting new crops for fall. The harvest season is in full swing, and every year at this time I revel in the bounty of the peak […]

Our society is experiencing an epidemic of obesity and diabetes with the root cause of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance develops when we bombard our body all day long with sugar-containing substances. It’s hard to find processed foods that don’t have sugar or high-fructose corn syrup in the ingredient list. If we wish to address the […]

For centuries people have made cakes to mark special occasions. These confections have evolved from rough, yeast-leavened cakes made by Romans to more elaborate, layered pastries created by 16th-century German bakers, which resembled what is often served today. Since the 1930s when they were introduced, boxed cake mixes have become so prevalent that generations of […]

My mother, amazing cook though she was, did not pack a very good school lunch, at least from a kid perspective. She really didn’t do breakfast at all, and lunch was usually leftovers from dinner the night before. This was in the 80s, before the wonder of celebrity chefs and Food Network-obsessed gourmet kids. I […]

I’ve long been a big fan of chef, writer and TV celebrity Anthony Bourdain. His bestselling book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, led to his career in television hosting the Food Network’s “A Cook’s Tour,” Travel Channel’s “No Reservations” and “The Layover,” and CNN’s “Parts Unknown.” I vividly remember a 2013 episode of […]

To be clear, I love a good dog as much as the next guy, especially if it’s been locally produced. My favorites are the uncured beef wieners from Stan Shutte at Triple S Farms, and the old-fashioned hot dogs from Dutch Valley Meats in Arthur. And there’s an art to roasting a perfectly golden marshmallow, […]

I first encountered miso nearly four decades ago at a hole-in-the wall sushi restaurant in Chicago. It came in the form of a complimentary bowl of miso soup that preceded my sushi selections. I became instantly fond of miso but I never really understood what it was or what it could be used for besides […]

Kohlrabi is an odd-looking vegetable with an odd-sounding name. Easy to grow and widely available at local farmers markets, this alien-looking vegetable is as versatile as it is weird. A member of the brassica family, kohlrabi has been cultivated in Western Europe since the 16th century, and has its first recorded mention in the United […]